Kerlink LoRaWan protects occupants from Covid-19

  • March 22, 2021
  • Steve Rogerson

French IoT firm Kerlink is collaborating with Pennsylvania-based Microshare on LoRaWan building and asset management to protect occupants from Covid-19.

The system uses information from building sensors and occupants to provide real-time data about building performance.

Kerlink and data-management provider Microshare have announced their stations and sensors are powering a building-and-asset-management system created by Philadelphia-based Aramark, a specialist in food, facilities management and uniforms.

Designed to help facility owners and operators deliver a safer and better-performing workplace experience, the Aramark AIWX Connect workplace technology platform uses digital inputs from building systems, wireless sensors and occupant feedback to provide real-time data about building performance, occupant satisfaction and space use. A feature of the platform is increased flexibility for facility owners and managers to help protect building occupants from Covid-19.

“Covid-19 has increased the need for building managers to better understand employee traffic patterns and how workspace is utilised, to ensure the office is properly maintained,” said John Hanner, president of Aramark’s facilities services division. “AIWX Connect combines the power of data with the knowledge of operations, to create safer environments and improved building performance.”

Aramark developed AIWX Connect for knowing when, where and how to allocate resources to the most-needed areas, based on actual demand. The platform leverages real-time data gathered by Microshare’s IoT platform transmitted by Kerlink equipment with Aramark’s deep facilities expertise to identify actionable insights for improvement. These actions are integrated into an operating delivery model and planning programmes to improve the user experience and building performance.

“Powerful and responsive smart solutions such as those developed by Aramark for AIWX Connect are another on-point example of the robustness and flexibility of Kerlink’s products and their compatibility with Microshare’s technology,” said Stéphane Dejean, Kerlink’s chief marketing officer. “This adoption by Aramark, a diversified, global operator, highlights LoRaWan’s ability to expand the IoT’s applications to a new level of health protection.”

In 2020, Kerlink and Microshare launched a LoRaWan-based, contact-tracing system that does not rely on smartphones or GPS technology or collected sensitive personally identifiable information, and helps workers to feel safe in their workplace, while protecting their privacy.

“Smart IoT that closely monitors both occupancy and status of buildings and facilities is key to reopening spaces that had to close because of the pandemic’s spread,” said Charles Paumelle, Microshare’s chief product officer. “By combining Kerlink and Microshare’s expertise, which was jointly demonstrated in our 2020 collaboration to enable contact tracing, we have helped deploy systems that will bring buildings into the IoT era.”

More than 120,000 Kerlink installations have been rolled out with more than 330 clients in 69 countries. Based in France, with subsidiaries in the USA, Singapore, India and Japan, Kerlink is a co-founder and board member of the LoRa Alliance and the uCIFI Alliance.

Microshare provides smart building data systems at scale that bring safety, wellness, cost savings and sustainability to vital assets. Its sensing-as-a-service model and global reseller network helped its clients get back to business quickly, safely and cost efficiently in 2020, all while shedding light on the true performance and utility of their real estate holdings to prepare them for the post-pandemic future.